But sons don’t always listen to their fathers. Dennis Lebow admits he accepted his father as a teacher but not a career guide.

“I’ve been in business for myself for 32 years,” Lebow said. “My dad started the business in 1954 and ran it for 28 years.

“Between us, we have 60 years in. It doesn’t seem possible, but it is.

“I could give you a thousand reasons to not be in business for yourself. I can think of one reason in favor of it, but it is enough. Through the good and the bad, you can’t beat working for yourself. The independence makes up for the rest of it.”

Reuben The Tailor, 56 Rock St., has been in Fall River for two generations and has adjusted and adapted clothing for three generations of customers. Dennis Lebow fits suits for the grandchildren of the men and women Reuben Lebow served when he first opened his shop on Second Street, back when the streets of downtown Fall River were jammed with shoppers every Saturday.

Dennis Lebow once tailored the suits his father wore. He now tailors clothing for his wife and their four adult children, Lebow said.

There were once more than a dozen tailors in the city. Fall River is down to two or three now, Lebow said.

“A lot of our businesses have left town,” Lebow said. “There aren’t as many people wearing a suit to work every day as there once was.

“But, as a tailor, you diversify. I’ve worked with leather and fur. I do special orders. I’ve sewn pockets onto the inside of shirts or on the inside of pants pockets for people who are travelling.

“It is really great when someone loses a lot of weight and they come in to get their clothes altered so they fit right again.”

Lebow can do everything from adding pockets to building custom suits. For a tailored suit, Lebow will take fittings and help a client chose the fabric and styling details. The client can chose the cut and color, the number of buttons, the style of the pockets and lapels.

The order is sent out to a production house in New York or Italy and an unfinished suit is returned. With a second, or third fitting, Lebow tailors it to the customer.

Page 2 of 2 - “A lot of people want to have one good suit in their closet,” he said. “Lawyers and bankers, who wear suits like a uniform, who wear suits every day, they need a quality garment that will hold up.

“And the fit matters. If a garment is tailored well, you will feel like a million bucks.”

For one client, fit was so important he had Lebow come to his home regularly to refit his suits as the man was losing weight while dying of cancer. At the last fitting, the man explained he wanted the suit to look especially good because it was the one he would wear in his casket.

“This man was a client of my father and he continued with me,” Lebow said. “A lot of my clients begin to feel like family, but this man felt like my second father.”

Lebow said he took special care with the suit. His client was pleased when he delivered it.

“There is a great satisfaction when you work with someone and they are happy with the result,” Lebow said. “That really makes the work rewarding.”

Still, he gave his children the same advice his father gave him. This time, it took.

“I was brought into the business as a kid. I was really drawn to it,” Lebow said. “My father kept telling me to do something else. I said the same thing to my kids. They listened to me.

“In another 20 years, it might be impossible to find a tailor. But, right now, I’m glad I did it.”